Activism

UC Riverside student government rescinds divestment measure aimed at Israeli occupation profiteers

Riverside
The University of California, Riverside (Image: Newsroom.ucr.edu/)

Student advocates for Palestinian rights at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) suffered a setback last night after the student government passed a resolution that rescinded a measure calling for divestment from companies linked to the Israeli military.

The Associated Students of UCR vote was 10-2 in favor of rescinding the pro-divestment measure, with two abstentions. The vote means that the original measure passed in favor of divestment has been erased.

Last night’s vote came nearly a month after the original pro-divestment measure overwhelmingly passed at UC Riverside. The divestment bill, which targeted companies like Caterpillar that profit from Israel’s system of control over Palestinians, passed 11-5.

“I was pretty disappointed,” said Shadi Matar, the president of UCR’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) group and a non-voting member of the student senate at the school. “The senators buckled under all this pressure.” E-mails from Zionist individuals and organizations like Stand With Us to the student government successfully pressured student senators to reconsider their vote, said Matar. Supportive e-mails were also sent from SJP members and other allies after the vote, and prominent figures like Desmond Tutu and Roger Waters urged UC Riverside students Wednesday to affirm their original vote in favor of divestment. Both Matar and the outgoing student president of UCR’s Hillel said that two elected officials from California also weighed in against divestment.

Opponents of divestment claimed they were kept in the dark and had little time to muster any opposition to the original bill. Israel advocates also say that divestment alienates students on campus and damages efforts at dialogue. Matar agrees that students may be alienated, but said those whose feelings were hurt took the side of the “oppressor.”

The outgoing student president of Hillel on that campus, Danny Leserman, celebrated the vote in an interview. “To see it pass…was remarkable,” he said. “I think everyone realized, at the very least, it is not the Senate’s job to take a side in this complex argument…I think the Senate realizes that anything that singles out Israel, or any other country, is not going to fly.”

Leserman was one of the speakers who gave a presentation against divestment last night. In an interview, he complained that SJP “strategically suppressed” the opposition. “They kept us in the dark,” said Leserman, referring to the original vote on divestment. He also railed against the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, calling it filled with people who want to “eradicate” and “delegitimize” Israel.

The outgoing student president of Hillel at Riverside said that there was no “equal representation” at the early March meeting where divestment was voted on and they were taken by surprise. Amal Aly, another member of SJP at UC Riverside, told Haaretz in March that keeping the resolution quiet before the vote took place was a way to “level the playing field” between SJP and Israel lobby groups who would have strongly opposed the resolution.

Still, SJP’s Matar said he went through all the necessary steps to get the divestment resolution on the student government’s agenda and that the March vote took place at a public forum where opponents of divestment spoke. He said that it wasn’t SJP’s responsibility to inform opponents a divestment measure was coming up, and that the senators had a week to investigate the resolution.

Hillel’s Leserman also argued that SJP “lied” when they told senators that voting for divestment would be a vote in favor of neutrality in the Israel/Palestine conflict. Student advocates for Palestinian rights say that investing in companies that do business with the Israeli military is already picking a side. “We only got one month to feel neutral on this campus,” said Matar.

The UC Riverside vote was a setback for student activists for Palestinian rights that came after victories on other campuses. Both UC Irvine and UC San Diego have successfully passed pro-divestment measures, though a call for divestment failed at Stanford University. And a drive for divestment from companies with links to the Israeli military has just started at UC Santa Barbara.

But the Riverside fight is hardly over. Matar says he plans to reintroduce a changed bill that would still be in favor of divestment. He said that after the group’s “Palestine Awareness Week” is completed, he would work with senators to make changes and compromises to ensure a pro-divestment measure could pass. But he emphasized that he’s “not going to sacrifice the original intent of the divestment bill in order to get it passed.”

Hillel’s Leserman, who is the outgoing president, said that there is another resolution circulating that calls on the UC system to examine all investments to ensure that they’re socially responsible.

Matar said he still believes divestment could pass. “Divestment will happen in the future,” he vowed.

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So when Zionist students send emails to their student reps, they’re “pressuring.” When pro-Palestinian students email their reps, it’s “supportive.”

Progress comes slowly. It doesn’t happen overnight. Sometimes early losses are better than early wins. Success comes with insight and reflection.

Zionism has no long term future. That is all we can say at the moment.

The anti BDS opposition is good and organized. If they were in charge South Africa wold still be in apartheid. Even with Israel in full apartheid US politicians will support them by saying its different in Israel. As long as this situation exists in the US Israel will continue to deny right to Palestinians and continue to enforce the status quo.

“Student advocates for Palestinian rights say that investing in companies that do business with the Israeli military is already picking a side. “We only got one month to feel neutral on this campus,” said Matar.”

That’s the nub of the matter. Imagine this justification debate back when BDS against Apartheid S Africa existed. This was a major victory by those intent on maintaining America’s rubber-stamping Israeli conduct with US tax money and diplomatic cover. Wasn’t the US one of the last supporters of Apartheid S Africa, with Israel being the last supporter of that former regime? “Rome was not built in a day.” Good luck to BDS in this academic jurisdiction second time around.


He also railed against the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, calling it filled with people who want to “eradicate” and “delegitimize” Israel.

Yeah, like anyone needs to delegitimize Israel…

Voting against divestment from a regime stealing land, thats quite disgusting.
On the boycott-topic, Its quite funny too since pro israeli groups support boycott, sanctions against Iran, Iraq, Palestinians et.c. Bunch of hypocrites in my book.